askhistorians

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Three days before the attack on Pearl Harbor the US military's war plans for a multi front war against Germany and Japan were leaked to US newspapers. What is the consensus on who leaked these plans and their motivation?	33
Did people in medieval Europe believe that weird looking animals like giraffes, elephants and zebras were real?	23
In 1934, the US Air Corps proved itself unable to even deliver airmail safely; by 1944 the US military was a formidable air power. How was this turnaround achieved in such a short time?	20
In Die Hard 2, the special forces soldiers sent to retake the airport mock a new recruit because he wasn't "with them in Grenada." Today the US invasion of Grenada seems a comically tiny conflict for a group of badass soldiers to be proud of. Would it have seemed that way to a 1990 audience?	19
In “Home Alone” Kevin McAllister’s parents have a beautiful home and buy a first class trip Christmas to Paris for a family of 13. What jobs could they have had in 1990s Chicago to afford this?	17
The fall of the Berlin Wall came within a few months of Tiananmen Square. Did the backlash against the Chinese actions in Tiananmen influence the Soviet decision not to crush the protests and allow the wall to fall?	16
Being an Emperor sounds pretty good. There also seem to be really no requirements to qualify as one except being a ruler and deciding that you’re an Emperor. Why didn’t more Kings declare themselves Emperors?	12
In 1871, Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany was asked to decide whether Britain or the US should control the San Juan Islands in modern day Washington state. Was this sort of international arbitration common at that time? What did Wilhelm I think about being asked to arbitrate?	11
Lots of US place names are based on European place names. But why are some prefixed by "New" whereas others are not? Was there a convention?	10
My local cemetery in London has a small number of Commonwealth War Graves for soldiers killed during WWI, but some with dates of death as late as 1922. Would these be graves for soldiers injured, repatriated to London but who subsequently died of their injuries?	8

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